Statements by Lawmakers

and Governmental Authorities

The International Council for Men and Boys has identified a broad range of disparities that affect men and boys around the world. Following are statements by lawmakers and governmental authorities from 14 countries, along with the WHO European Region, that address many of these disparities:

United States:

Federal:

  • “Of all the things this country needs—stronger borders, better-paying jobs, some basic safety on our streets—above all, America needs stronger men. The left has spent decades running men down, blaming them for everything from climate change to ‘the patriarchy.’ They’re wrong. Strong men aren’t the problem. For America, stronger, better men are the solution.” — Sen. Josh Hawley, Missouri
  • “In 2022, there were seven million men in the prime of life missing from the labor force, and 10 million total without work. As the scholar Nicholas Eberstadt points out, this means the share of American men without work today is as large as it was during the Great Depression. Perhaps not coincidentally, four out of every five suicides last year were men. The individual stories are devastating, and the impact to our communities is immense.” — Sen. Marco Rubio, Florida
  • “The U.S. Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys (CSSBMB) is the culmination of my work as U.S. Congresswoman to empower our Black men and boys. I authored bill H.R. 1636 (Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys Act), which passed overwhelmingly in the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives in July 2020 and unanimously in the Republican-controlled Senate, before being signed into law by President Donald Trump.” — Rep. Frederica Wilson, 24th District of Florida
  • “Black men, in particular, have the lowest life expectancy of all groups. Men are also at higher risk of homicide, with black males having the highest risk at every 1 in 30, as compared to white men who have a 1 in 179 chance of being a victim of homicide.” — Robin Kelly, Chairwoman, Congressional Black Caucus

Arkansas:

  • “Studies show that children raised in one-parent households are more likely to suffer from a range of negative effects. And yet, divorce courts routinely just relegate fathers to the status of a weekend visitor.” — Former governor Mike Huckabee

Georgia:

  • “(1) There is a silent health crisis affecting the health and well-being of Georgia’s men; (2) This health crisis is of particular concern to men, but is also a concern for women, and especially to those who have fathers, husbands, sons, and brothers” — Georgia General Assembly, selected findings from law to establish a Commission on Men’s Health

Hawaii:

  • “Across the United States, there is a renewed understanding of the unique importance of fathers in the lives of their children, families, and communities. It is widely recognized that children are more likely to thrive with support, guidance, and nurturing from both parents. The absence of one parent from a child’s life can place that child at a greater risk of health, emotional, educational, and behavioral problems associated with the child’s development.” — Findings from the law to establish a Commission on Fatherhood.

Kentucky:

  • “This is not about parents in particular. This is not about politics in particular. It’s about what is going to be best for the children of Kentucky…I see this as a monumental change. When we can have two people, two parents involved in children’s lives, it increases the number, the chances of them succeeding in every category.” — Rep. Jason Petrie, Champion of H.B. 492, Equal shared parenting law.

Missouri:

  • “Broken families are going to happen, but we should not be putting the children in the middle, and using them as pawns, and the game between the mothers and the fathers.” — Rep. Richard West, District 102, speaking in support of equal shared parenting legislation
  • “Parents need to unite, parents need to come together, even if they get divorced.” — Rep. Wendy Hausman, St. Charles County

Ohio:

  • In states that have enacted shared parenting laws, “They’ve seen a decrease in domestic violence, they’ve seen a decrease in conflict among parents. I’ve seen the neighborhoods that have fathers that are in children’s lives and the mothers in children’s lives, and collectively, you have a stronger community as a result of that.” — Rep. Thomas West, Canton

Washington State:

  • “There are many issues that impact men and boys. Yet, there is no unified voice that would tackle these issues at the state level. If adopted, this legislation would create the first of its kind boys and men’s commission in the nation right here in Washington state.” — Rep. Mary Dye, WA-Pomeroy
  • “Yes, I think [the well-being of boys and men] is a critical public policy issue that we need to be addressing.” — Rep. Ruth Kagi, WA-Shoreline
  • “I am all for protecting women, but we have to protect men too. For that reason I’m voting no on this [stealthing] bill.” — Rep. Michelle Caldier, WA-26th District

Men’s Health Week, Observed each year during the second week of June:

  • “Men’s Health Week is an opportunity to raise awareness of the diseases and illnesses that are most prevalent among American men and to reiterate the importance of early detection and preventative health practices.  During this week, I encourage all men to evaluate both their mental and physical health and to focus on living a healthy lifestyle.” — President Donald J. Trump

  • “My message to anybody listening is to have your PSA [Prostate Specific Antigen] test done early and often….If I had waited much longer, we might not be having this conversation.” — State Senator Ken Yager, Tennessee
  • In 2024, we are “focusing on improving health outcomes for racial and ethnic minority and American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) men through its theme Be the Source for Better Health: Improving Health Outcomes Through Our Cultures, Communities, and Connections.” — U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health
  • 2021 Men’s Health Week, Puerto Rico
  • A listing of the 50 states, hundreds of cities, and 25 Indian tribes that have issued Proclamations in support of Men’s Health Week is available HERE.

Argentina:

  • “False reporting of gender violence will be punished under the new Penal Code. If this gender-based complaint caused harm to intra-family relations, for example, the father was unable to contact his minor children, this will be another aggravating factor.” — Justice Minister Cúneo Libarona  —>
  • False allegations against men are made “without consequences for lying, breaking the principle of equality before the law, of innocence and defense, destroying the ties of thousands of families, and mainly many parents who can’t see their children. A justice inclined to the ideologies that continue to destroy our country cannot continue to be an option, let us no longer be witnesses of injustice and remain complicit in the degradation of Argentine families.” — Victoria Villarruel, Vice President of Argentina

Australia:

  • “Almost half of Australian men are lonely and that men with high levels of loneliness are eight-and-a-half times more likely to have more poor mental health. Men account for six out of eight suicides, almost twice the number of deaths on our national road toll. And men face worst mental and physical health than women during a family breakdown.” — MP Sarah Game, South Australia, Leading proponent for an Office of Men’s Health.
  • “Australian men and boys face challenges in their health and wellbeing. They die earlier than women – and more often from diseases that can be prevented. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men in particular live significantly shorter lives than others.” — Hon. Greg Hunt, MP,  Minister for Health, Releasing the National Men’s Health Strategy, 2020-2030.
  • “In 2023, the war on young men and masculinity continues unabated. Promote the virtues of true masculinity, they being justice, prudence, temperance, and fortitude.” — Sen. Alex Antic, South Australia
  • “Men on the tail end of broken relationships are at the end of their tether when they have limited or no access to their children as the result of the confusion, excessive costs and long delays that are a feature of the family law system in most of Australia. Many of these men are not able to cope and become further victims of this oppressive system by taking their own lives as a final solution to the unbearable processes of marital breakdown.” — Senator Malcolm Roberts, Queensland
  • “If you listened to last night’s budget or you looked through the budget papers you might have noticed the considerable attention paid towards women, including many hundreds of millions of dollars allocated towards assisting female victims of domestic violence. However, what was overlooked was another aspect of domestic violence playing out in Australia. One which, like those who suffer from it, rarely gets the same sort of attention, violence against men.” — Senator Pauline Hanson, Queensland
  • “It’s ironic that the women who bring men into the world are so ready to dismiss and abandon them to boost their orthodox feminist credentials. But in Australia, men are severely over-represented in suicides, in prison, in homelessness and in unemployment. ” — Senator Pauline Hanson, Queensland

Canada:

  • “We know men face a variety of issues — abuse, mental health, legal pressures, parenting. These issues must be met with compassion and understanding.” — MP Karen Vecchio, Ontario, Welcome statement to Men and Families conference, September 26, 2024
  • Men’s Health Week Proclamation — Mayor Peter Milobar, Kamloops, British Columbia

Denmark:

  • “I am pleased that we are now paving the way to ensure that men exposed to violence have the same rights as women exposed to violence. For far too long we have not taken it seriously enough that men can also be victims of intimate partner violence and need help. The time has come to ensure that abused men and their children receive the same help as when a woman reaches out for help. Equality is for both women and men.” — Marie Bjerre, Danish Minister for Equality, announcing decision to assure equal support to male victims of domestic violence.

England:

  • “Too little attention is paid to the problems faced by boys and young males. This partly explains school failure and growing prison numbers.” — MP Nick Fletcher, Don Valley
  • “The Government should appoint a minister for men to champion men’s health and positive male role models.” — MP Katherine Fletcher, South Ribble, Lancashire
  • “Can we look again at Equalities legislation? If the whole department is dedicated to ensuring women are considered — quite rightly so — why not the same for men? — MP Ben Bradley, Mansfield
  • “Men in the most deprived areas in England live nearly 10 years fewer than those in the least deprived. It is clear working in partnership is the key to addressing men’s health – and councils are ideally placed to lead and foster that.” — Local Government Association, 2024.

India:

  • “On the lines of National Commission for Women, a commission for men should be made, men should also get a platform. In the present time, we see incidents where men suffer at the hands of their wives. There should be no injustice with anyone.” — MP Shri Harinarayan Rajbhar, Ghosi

Kenya:

  • “It would be very unfortunate if our boys are left behind even as the women and the girl child continue getting empowerment. Let everyone have an equal opportunity, including the men, since this is how successful families are developed for better communities and the nation at large.” — Cabinet Secretary for Public Service and Gender Professor Margaret Kobia

Micronesia:

  • “Men in the Federated States of Micronesia have a shorter life expectancy than women (64 years vs.67 years), according to the FSM 2000 census.” — President Manny Mori

Mongolia:

  • On December 11, 2023, Mongolian Minister of Foreign Affairs Battsetseg Batmunkh announced her government’s “She for He” initiative, designed to address the challenges faced by men and boys. —>

Norway:

  • “Many boys and men do not feel that equality is about them, or exists for them. Greater attention to boys’ and men’s equality challenges will strengthen equality policy, not weaken it.” — Ministry of Culture and Equality, Men’s Committee Report. The report addresses a range of issues such as family life, education, working life, health, and violence.

Northern Mariana Islands:

  • “I am very humbled to recognize the efforts of the Department of Public Health in taking a step to increasing awareness of men’s health needs. I admit that during stressful times, it is very easy to neglect our health.” — Governor Ralph DLG. Torres

South Africa:

  • “Evidence shows that men participate less in preventive health services, seek medical help at a later stage than women and receive more informal care. There is also an understanding that the design of health services and the settings in which they are delivered are important factors influencing the way health systems respond to men’s health issues.” — Dr. ZL Mkhize, MP, Minister of Health, announcing release of the South African National Integrated Men’s Health Strategy, 2020-2025.

Spain:

  • “False allegations exist. But they are not accounted for…The results are men with their lives destroyed, men whose right of honor is harmed, children of living fathers who are turned into orphans, and broken families…It could happen to you.” — Carla Toscano, Madrid City Hall Councilor, September 6, 2024
  • “Feminism has normalized hatred, the violation of rights, and institutional abuse against men. And this must be denounced. For all good men.” — Carla Toscano, Madrid City Hall Councilor, September 24, 2024

World Health Organization – European Region:

  • “In recent years, the health and well-being of men has received increasing attention in the WHO European Region. A key trigger for this attention is the high level of premature mortality among men, particularly in the eastern part of the Region….The adverse mortality among working age men has a profound demographic, economic, and political impact on the Region.” — World Health Organization, European Region, Announcing release of its Strategy on the Health and Well-Being of Men.